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A Natural Dye Garden – Plant to Dye Pot – Part I

Early dyers relied on easily obtained natural materials to add color to their textiles. Natural dyestuffs come from flowering plants, bark, fungi, lichens, insects, shellfish and various ‘earths’. Dye materials can be gathered at most times of the year, used fresh or dried. The amounts of natural dyestuffs required to dye protein fibers are not very precise because so many variables are involved in natural dyeing.

22 thoughts on “A Natural Dye Garden – Plant to Dye Pot – Part I”

Thank you for posting the results of your exploration of natural dyes – these are great to see. I had no idea about the apple leaves!

I agree with each point about the appeal of natural dyes, including tending one’s own garden and sustaining old traditions. Too much culture is being lost now; it’s important that at least a few people continue.

This is a really excellent series of articles! I especially value the photos showing dyed wool samples with all the info!
I am a new member of a fiber art guild and we are having a natural dyes workshop next Sunday. I have walnut hulls/leaves, goldenrod, pokeberry, onion and red cabbage.
Are you aware of any comparison of various types of natural plant dyes that give info about color permanence to multiple washings and light exposure? Are there mordants and other treatments that increase the permanence of the dyes? A chart would be great!

Hi! I wish you well on your natural dye day! It’s very addictive. There’s many books & natural dye experts out there. I suggest you play and experiment. A book I particularly like is ‘Wild Color’ by Jenny Dean. As you know, color ‘fastness’ or ‘fading’ occurs in both natural and synthetic dyes over time; some plant dyes retain color better than others, but I use a suitable mordant (usually alum is most common) on all my animal fibers. Rhubarb leaf (caution: toxic!) is also a possibility. Just cause it’s natural, doesn’t mean it’s safe! You must also consider proper disposal of spent solutions. Repeatability is often a factor in natural dyeing…so dye up enough yarn for your project in one day! Happy fiber’n!

Regardless of natural or synthetic dye stuff used in the dyeing process, one must always use safe practices…both in the dye room and ultimate disposal of any residuals. ‘Natural’ dyes does not mean that they are necessarily ‘safe'; some natural dyes are also more color fast than others and require little or no mordants. Whatever the dye source, dyeing should be a rewarding experience for the artist, requiring knowledge, time and talent.

Hi Linda! What are you dyeing? Asters (with small light lavender flowers) grow wild in just about any uncultivated space, blooming in late summer and early fall. Its name comes from the Greek word meaning “star”. Collecting enough for dyeing small amounts of wool is no problem. Its stems, flowers, and leaves will provide a range of yellow based shades, depending upon mordant:

hi sheepy hollow.
thank you for such easy to understand articles on dyeing. I am wondering what the CU stands for in natural dye garden II…it was under assistants, vinegar.
also I wondered if you have ever done dyeing in the sun, with or with out mordants.